What classes should I take during undergrad to best prepare for an MBA program?

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>I'm an econ major at a top liberal arts school planning on minoring in math(possibly extending to a major, if I can finish it in time and consider it worth my effort) and Chinese. What kinds of courses should I be taking to best prepare myself for an MBA program, say, at Harvard?
I've already taken:
Calculus I-II
Intro to Micro and Macro Economics
Introduction to Probability and Statistics (barely passed)
First Year Chinese
and one random literature class</p>

<p>Anything else I should be doing aside from classes? Thank you</p>

2

<p>Work experience is more important than the major and coursework.</p>

3

<p>What ^ said.</p>

<p>MBA students come from any and all programs. What will get you in isn’t coursework – it’s your work experience.</p>

4

<p>There is an entire forum focused on MBA’s:</p>

<p>[Business</a> School - MBA - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/business-school-mba/]Business”>Business School - MBA - College Confidential Forums)</p>

<p>I suggest asking this question there, as they are likely to have a far better range of answers than you will find here.</p>

5

<p>Kills me sometimes, the number of people shooting for Harvard et al without any idea of what it takes to get in or the kind of profile needed.</p>

6

<p>^ hence the reason I’m asking</p>

7

<p>Your major won’t matter one bit for getting in to the top programs in the US, let alone individual courses. Nor will your GPA and GMAT score matter terribly: beyond a certain point, most qualified candidates (i.e. those not immediately rejected) will have similar scores/grades; the differentiating factor will be professional work experience and demonstrated leadership skills.</p>

<p>Keep in mind the social nature of Harvard admisssions: most students accepted to HBS likely attended an Ivy or ‘target’ undergrad, were recruited by top firms, and with that background and experience are poised as ideal candidates for HBS admission. Admissions, in this regard, are somewhat closed; getting in is diffiicult without the right ‘background’, and that is something that grades and GMAT scores are unlikely to overcome.</p>

8

<p>Defone is right and wrong (in my opinion). </p>

<p>He is correct in saying that there is a well-paved path from high school to top bschools. Getting into a great college, getting a great GPA, going to a great firm, and getting into a great b-school. All of these people already have great GPAs and are likely intelligent enough to do well on the GMAT. </p>

<p>That does not mean that GPA, GMAT, and Major are unimportant though. You need a high GPA to get into a great firm and you need a high GMAT to be considered at all. Most top b-schools are also undergoing certain “initiatives” that are de-emphasizing finance, and emphasizing more “social” occupations - nonprofit work, healthcare, etc. (where presumably, major will matter)</p>

9

<p>^ Correct. I merely wanted to emphasize that among the candidates having a 3.8+ GPA and 700+ GMAT, the differentiating factor is going to be the all-important intangibles that Harvard looks for. And in that, Harvard admissions, beyond mere academic achievement, are ultimately predicated on such things as character and leadership ability. The stereotypical bookworm, shy and meek, doesn’t often make it to Harvard Business School; the type-A individual does.</p>